Musical instrument



(No Model.)

H. I. HOLGOMB.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 542,561. Patented July 9,1895.

lNVE/VTOR WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY IRVIN HOLOOMB, OF OENTREVILLE, SOUTH DAKOTA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,561, dated July 9, 1895.

Application fil February 26, 1895. Serial No. 539,798- (No model.

To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY IRVIN HOLCOMB, of Centreville, in the county of Turner and State of South Dakota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Musical Instruments, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in musical instruments, and especially to an improvement in that class of instruments of the banjo or guitar type; and it has for its object to construct the instruments with two sounding-boards made connected, so that when the instrument is strung as a guitar or banjo two distinct tones will be obtained-one from each sounding-board-which tones will blend and produce a tone soft, clear, and of altogether a superior quality.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved instrument, a portion of the body and a portion of the neck being broken away; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken substantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

The instrument is provided with the usual body A belonging to instruments of the same class and may be of any desired shape. body contains an interior chamber 10, and the top or sounding board 11 of the body is provided with the usual tone-opening 12. The bottom of the body is closed and likewise the sides, the only opening being the aforesaid tone-opening, and the neck and fingerboard 13 are secured to the body in the usual manner.

IVithin the chamber 10 of the body A of the instrument a second hollow auxiliary body A is provided. This auxiliary body partakes substantiallyof the same contour as the main body A, and the end blocks 1% of the auxiliary and main bodies are connected at the front and rear by means of strips or pins 15, preferably made of wood. Otherwise the auxiliary body is independent of the main body,

The Y with the exception that "an interior bridge 16 is made to connect the innerface of the main or outer sounding-board 11 with the outer face of the sounding-boardlTof theauxiliary body, the aforesaid auxiliary body being provided with a sound-opening 18 in its sounding-board, registering with the opening 12 in the main sounding-board. The outer opening, however, is preferably of greater diameter than the inner one. The inner bridge 16 is located a slight distance in advance of the string-bridge 19, which is of the usual formation, and the strings are secured to the body through the medium of the ordinary tail-piece 20. Both the main and the auxiliary bodies are braced by means of rods 21, properly located.

\Vith an instrument provided with my im provement the ordinary vibration from the outer sounding-board will be obtained, and in addition a corresponding vibration from the inner souuding-board, the two vibrations being united through the medium of the conmeeting-bridge 16. Thus the blending of two tones is obtained, which is exceedingly pleasing to the ear.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A musical instrument of the guitar or banjo type, provided with an auxiliary hollow body of less diameter than the body of the instrument and supported within the said body from the sides thereof, and a bridge between the inner face of the main body and the outer face of the auxiliary body, said bridge being in advance of the string bridge of the instrument, substantially as described.

2. In a musical instrument of the guitaror banjo type, the combination with the body of the instrument having end blocks on its inner surface, of an auxiliary hollow body of less diameter than the main body, and provided with end blocks, and pins or strips secured in the said end blocks and supporting the auxiliary body in the main body,substantially as described.

3. In a musical instrument of the guitar or banjo type, the combination with the body of the instrument having a sound openingin its top or sounding board, of an auxiliary hollow body of less diameter than the main body and tween the two bodies and in advance of the provided with a sound opening in its top or string bridge of the main body, substantially sounding board registering with the sound as described.

opening ofthe main body, pins or strips se- HENRY IRVIN HOLCOMB. 5 cured to the main and auxiliary bodies at the Witnesses: front and rear and supporting the said auxil- HARRY KUNKLE,

iary body in the main body, and a. bridge be- JAMES L. KUNKLE, 

